Reminiscing, the good old days and catalogues and tack shops….

[dominobrown]

Having lost the joy of horses and most things in life the thread about Derby House got me thinking about the „good old days“.
I was a 90‘s pony mad child, I used to love getting the catalogues and circling everything I wanted for my pony (probably much to my mum’s concern)
I used to learn about all the different bits in the shires catalogues and there was a little description of each which meant in pony club and BHS exams my knowledge of bits and tack was second to none.

I used to love visiting tack shops anywhere we went. The smell was amazing and even before I had a pony I used to save up and like a brush or a hoofpick of something small. When I got my first pony I had a little grooming kit all made up from saving up or gifts and remember taking it to the riding school with me before I had my own pony so I could brush my pony before the lesson and taking it to my neighbours house (which was a point to point yard) where I would „help“ or hang around all the time

Please please do post your own memories, stories and pictures!

 

[spoo]

I lived for the day the new Robinsons catalogue got delivered!

 

[Cortez]

I'm even older, and I used to pore over the ads in the back of Horse & Hound, saving up for my first black riding jacket from Jackatex. I kept it for over 30 years, long, long outgrown, I loved it so much. It took me nearly a year to save up for it (in the '70's).

 

[Haphazardhacker]

I loved the Robinsons catalogue but even more I loved the Cam catalogue as I could even design my dream stables.

 

[toppedoff]

It's stupid but my mum got me a bright hot pink grooming kit when I was like 8 or 9. I haven't opened it yet but intend to use it one day once I got the pony in my life

 

[dominobrown]

I did this too. Not a fun now when you have to pay for it all!

 

[Lucky Snowball]

When I was a pony mad youngster - without a pony, the local tack shop had a second hand box which we would rummage in. I bought a plastic blue and red browband for 15p and still have it today.

 

[stangs]

I never got tack catalogues. Instead, my thing was always circling horse ads at the back of the Horse & Hound. I took the 'job' of deciding which horses I was going to buy - often for my fantasy side-saddle trekking centre riding school - very seriously, underlining or adding little exclamation marks to 'important' details (e.g., "dun" or "no novices", the later of which was no matter to 10yo me because I deemed myself as having become an experienced rider who needed a 15hh horse!)

Growing up in the city, the fact that my local shop even had H&H was ridiculously exciting for little me. It was my only contact to the real equestrian world.

 

[Prancerpoos]

I'm even older, and I used to pore over the ads in the back of Horse & Hound, saving up for my first black riding jacket from Jackatex. I kept it for over 30 years, long, long outgrown, I loved it so much. It took me nearly a year to save up for it (in the '70's).

Oh my - I had forgotten about Jackatex. I remember saving up all my pocket money to buy things and how exciting it was to get something like a new crop. Going to the local tack shop was a big event and everything was picked up and examined and cooed over. Who remembers the excitement when rubber riding boots first came out!

When I first saw the really big trade stands at our local agricultural show I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I remember buying a beautiful pair of leather side reins, the leather was top quality and gorgeous. That was back in the mid 70s and I never did use them, I think I thought then that I would use them for lungeing. I finally gave them away with a load of horsey stuff last year, but not sure they would ever be used these days.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Having lost the joy of horses and most things in life the thread about Derby House got me thinking about the „good old days“.
I was a 90‘s pony mad child, I used to love getting the catalogues and circling everything I wanted for my pony (probably much to my mum’s concern)
I used to learn about all the different bits in the shires catalogues and there was a little description of each which meant in pony club and BHS exams my knowledge of bits and tack was second to none.

I used to love visiting tack shops anywhere we went. The smell was amazing and even before I had a pony I used to save up and like a brush or a hoofpick of something small. When I got my first pony I had a little grooming kit all made up from saving up or gifts and remember taking it to the riding school with me before I had my own pony so I could brush my pony before the lesson and taking it to my neighbours house (which was a point to point yard) where I would „help“ or hang around all the time

Please please do post your own memories, stories and pictures!

I could have literally written this post tack shops smelled amazing...as did hoof oil! The smell of it transports me back to my childhood every time! I also had my own grooming kit just because I was also a fellow 'hang arounder' at any yard with a horse!

Do you remember "if wishes were horses"? Loved that programme

Mary King ans King William also sums up my childhood/teens...just adored that pair! Even if he was terrifying to watch showjumping

 

[Goldenstar]

The Cam catalogue was the stuff of dreams .

 

[wispagold]

I can remember the Robinsons catalogue and circling everything I wanted for Christmas. I use to collect the Thelwell models. And also loved Thursday mornings when we stop to buy H&H on our way back from the yard and I will go straight to the ads and circle all the horses I wanted before I went to school!

Also remember the Aerborn factory sale in Nottingham. People would be queuing out the door. I use to hate the car journey into the middle of Nottingham and being stuck inside the factory but was so excited everytime we got a new rug to take home!

 

[dominobrown]

I could have literally written this post tack shops smelled amazing...as did hoof oil! The smell of it transports me back to my childhood every time! I also had my own grooming kit just because I was also a fellow 'hang arounder' at any yard with a horse!

Do you remember "if wishes were horses"? Loved that programme

Mary King ans King William also sums up my childhood/teens...just adored that pair! Even if he was terrifying to watch showjumping

OMG yes! love Carr day and Martin hoof oil in the red tin! And the smell of cornucrescine, I still have loads of it now but never really use it.
Remember that programme. Loved King William, had all the posters up of my wall. I glued them all to my bedroom door (which was an old farm house door , how my mother didn't kill me).

 

[cobgoblin]

I bought my rubber mats from the Cam catalogue. I'm still using them.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'm even older, and I used to pore over the ads in the back of Horse & Hound, saving up for my first black riding jacket from Jackatex. I kept it for over 30 years, long, long outgrown, I loved it so much. It took me nearly a year to save up for it (in the '70's).

Lawks, I remember them!

Very much remember poring over H&H adverts, getting my 1st ever riding mac from Keith Luxfords fabulous tack and clothing store as a Christmas and birthday present from my parents and grand parents, those buckled straps round the knees!
Teamed with a yellow or pale blue aertex and beige jodhs, with yellow string gloves, I recall feeling that I'd 'arrived'

 

[Barton Bounty]

What memories! The highlight of my childhood was getting a reversible puffa that changed to a bodywarmer too similar to this
The old fashioned style loveson jods that werent rubbishy cotton.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I loved the catalogues too even though I was a pony less child.
I still love tack shops and will find just about any excuse to be in one...esp in hot weather when all the leather smells super strong

 

[Merry neddy man]

Shires still do them , you can order one from their page on www.shiresequestrian.com

 

[meleeka]

Our local tack shop was quite posh, so it was a real treat to go for a look.

I remember buying my first saddle from there, no saddle fitter, just a YO who said it fitted. It was £100 new I think. When I part exchanged it a few years later the saddler gave me £80 for it so it was a good deal all round.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I loved the catalogues too even though I was a pony less child.
I still love tack shops and will find just about any excuse to be in one...esp in hot weather when all the leather smells super strong

I love the smell of any tack shop

 

[Snow Falcon]

Barratts of Feckenham was in my local town, right by a bus stop. I'd get off the school bus, pop in and buy something then catch another bus home.

 

[ponynutz]

Early Gen Z here! I was born on the brink of the 'digital' age i.e. computer's existed but online shopping wasn't really a thing still and I always grew up reading books and magazines. I remember I had two 'Pony Care' books from Usborne that were so well read they were falling to bits. I also had the Robinsons catalogue every year and circled things and read PONY mag religiously every month.

 

[Pippity]

I was one of the pony-less riding school kids, and whenever the YO went to the big Robinsons at Haydock, she'd take a couple of us with her. It was the absolute highlight of my year when I was picked. I had no money to buy anything, and no pony to buy anything for, but it was bliss to wander round, staring at everything I would buy when my mum finally got me a pony. I have no idea whether the old Robinsons was as big as I remember, or if I was just very small, but I was so sad when I finally got my horse, went to Robinsons to stock up on everything, and it was tiny and disappointing.

 

[Caol Ila]

Like many millenials, I was a teenager when the internet first appeared in vaguely user-friendly form (Netscape! AOL!). I remember when tack shops were actually useful and generally had the things you wanted. I had piles of books on horse training, horse care, breeds of horses, etc. etc. I looked forwards to getting my Practical Horseman and Equus magazines in the post. George Morris had a popular column in Practical Horseman where he would critique jumping photos that people sent him. God help you if your horse wasn't braided or your boots weren't shined. It was entertaining. No one (well, not your general punter) knew he was a bit of a sex pest. It was the '90s. No one cared about that sort of thing.

 

[Birker2020]

Barratts of Feckenham was in my local town, right by a bus stop. I'd get off the school bus, pop in and buy something then catch another bus home.

Ww had a Barratts if Feckenham by us and its where the lady in the shop was putting her advert up for a trailer for sale on the noticeboard as Mum and I were in there buying a body brush for my horse.

We went that weekend to see the trailer and bought it. That was back in 1996 and I still have the trailer now.

There was a large department store in Birmingham, I don't remember which one and they had a very small horse section. I used to love looking in there too.

Great post Domino Brown.

 

[Kaylum]

Loved Barretts. I bought my first Shires rug from there. It was £70 and i was so proud of it This was the early 90s.

On a Saturday morning everyone bought the Yorkshire Post for the equestrian section. It had pages and pages of horses for sale. We would read every single advert.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I was one of the pony-less riding school kids, and whenever the YO went to the big Robinsons at Haydock, she'd take a couple of us with her. It was the absolute highlight of my year when I was picked. I had no money to buy anything, and no pony to buy anything for, but it was bliss to wander round, staring at everything I would buy when my mum finally got me a pony. I have no idea whether the old Robinsons was as big as I remember, or if I was just very small, but I was so sad when I finally got my horse, went to Robinsons to stock up on everything, and it was tiny and disappointing.

You are not misremembering. The original Robinsons was huge and very well stocked with good quality stuff, but was destroyed in a huge fire in 2002. I used to visit it once or twice a year pre fire, a 2 hour round trip for me, but the replacement Robinsons store on the same site was much smaller and not a patch on the original.

Giant tack store destroyed by fire - Horse & Hound

Robinsons' Haydock store in Lancashire has been razed to the ground following a fire

www.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[Maxidoodle]

I worked in the original Robinsons (before the fire), many many years ago. It was truly the only job I loved and couldn’t wait to go to work every day. The rug room was like heaven, the shop closed for lunch daily and we used to run our own keep fit classes in the shop during lunch time . It was never the same when it got rebuilt but it’s such a shame that all these great places are going.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I loved filling out and posting the Robinson order form! So exciting.
My friend and I were thrilled to discover that a little farm/diy shop my dad used to drag us along too had a tiny few shelves of horsey stuff tucked away. Totally covered in dust. We spent most weekends then walking hours to get there’s ourselves to have a look.
I remember being so so impressed when a lady at our yard got a really posh rug for her horse that wasn’t canvas! (maybe that’s where my rug obsession started!)

The CAM shop, or warehouse- it wasn’t set up like a shop as I recall was near my aunties so we used to go visit that occasionally aswell.
There was always a Romany caravan somewhere near with really beautiful ponies.
I’d go round looking at all the stuff I’d buy them if they were mine!

 

[asmp]

Most towns in the 60s & 70s (showing my age here!) had tack shops. I lived abroad as a child and remember visiting the tack shop in Faringdon, where my grandparents lived, and being in heaven. It was the smell of leather as you walked on the door.